


Negotiations

by Owlship



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pre-Relationship, Robert Never Died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-14 14:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18950161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlship/pseuds/Owlship
Summary: "You'll what?" Brienne says, staring at ser Jaime with a frown."I'll pay you a thousand gold dragons if you pretend to be madly in love with me for the next month," he says, a smirk on his face.





	Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> Primarybufferpanel told me to write fake dating so I did, somewhat.
> 
> Originally posted [on tumblr](https://v8roadworrier.tumblr.com/post/185074553296/primarybufferpanel-v8roadworrier)!

"You'll what?" Brienne says, staring at ser Jaime with a frown.

"I'll pay you a thousand gold dragons if you pretend to be madly in love with me for the next month," he says, a smirk on his face.

"No," she says incredulously.

Lannister's smirk only grows deeper and she suddenly feels as if the moniker of 'golden lion' is less poetic license and more a physical fact. He seems very much like a predator to her now. "It's common knowledge that you're in court at all because you need a husband, preferably a rich one, thanks to all those debts your father left your little island, Lady Brienne."

She stiffens and her frown becomes a glare. "And so you expect me to... to whore myself out to you?" she spits.

"Good gods, no!" he says, recoiling from her with a grimace. "I assure you, I have no desire for your... charms. But being courted by a Lannister would make you a pretty prize indeed, and I'll even give you a head start on keeping your island afloat."

Brienne shakes her head, hands nervously seeking out the sword she isn't wearing at her hip, hasn't carried since she came to King's Landing where such things aren't seemly for a Lady of her station.

"Oh come on," he says, inclining his head towards her as if they're having an intimate conversation which, she supposes they are. "You'll not get a better offer than this."

"But why are you offering?" she says, stuck on that point.

Ser Jaime sighs, his expression softening slightly, losing the edge of cruel teasing. "I have my reasons," he says, and she thinks there's longing in his voice, his eyes flicking past her up to the spire of the Red Keep.

His sister, Brienne thinks with a shiver of disgust, and then clamps down on the reaction because those rumors Stannis had spread during his attempted coup were just that: rumors. There's surely no more between ser Jaime and his sister the Queen than had been between her and her own brother. No doubt he longs only to further dispel the rumors by visibly showing interest in another woman, and she happens to be in a position to know nothing will come of his flirtatious attentions, more than can be said for another maid.

"If I said yes," she says slowly, and his expression brightens, triumphant. " _If_ ," she stresses, "What would this... 'courtship' entail?"

"Dancing at balls, walks in the gardens, perhaps some sporting and horseback rides," ser Jaime says instantly, and shrugs a shoulder elegantly. "I'd be willing to give you some trinkets you could discreetly sell later, if you prove a convincing enough actress."

Brienne takes a deep breath and considers her options. Being courted by a Lannister, even one with such a dark reputation as the kingslayer, would undoubtedly elevate her status in the eyes of the rest of the court. And a thousand dragons _would_ allow her to discharge some of her father's debts.

But could she stand to pretend to be in love with ser Jaime? She eyes him up, taking in the disparity in the quality of their clothes, the way he's a few fingers shorter than her, how handsome his face is compared to what she's used to seeing in her looking-glass.

"Alright," she says, "I will allow you to pretend to court me for a month."

"And you'll pretend to be madly in love with me back, of course," he says with a grin.

Brienne sends him a sour glare. "I'll pretend to be giving your suit honest consideration," she says. "I'm not the type of woman who swoons and sings love songs, no one would believe it if they saw me doing so."

"Of course not," he says easily. "But you will dance, will you not?"

"Yes," she says with a sigh, "I'll dance with you."

"Then we have an accord, my Lady," ser Jaime says, and bows with a flourish, grabbing at her hand when she doesn't extend it. His lips are soft against the back of her hand and while her first reaction is to jerk away from the touch, she stills herself because this is the sort of touch a woman being courted would allow.

"You won't kiss me," she says firmly when he's straightened back up. "And if you try to seek any other 'favors' from me, I _will_ defend myself."

"Yes, I imagine you would," he says, green eyes sweeping over her as if he's just now noticed her size. "Don't trouble yourself over it, I assure you, I'm not interested in anything more than our arrangement."

"Good," Brienne says, at a loss for what to do now. She _had_ been seeking the training grounds to get some practice in, but she isn't sure whether to continue on that path if she's meant to be being courted by him now.

"You'll be seated at my table for dinner tonight," he says, "Tomorrow I'll call on you for a stroll in the gardens before breakfast, we'll arrange the rest then."

She nods, apprehension coiling in her belly. Has she really just agreed to this? But her father left considerable debts, and she only has to keep up the charade for a single month.

Lannister inclines himself in the slightest of bows and then departs, leaving her standing in the middle of the disused courtyard he dragged her into.

She looks around, but can see no signs that anyone was nearby to see them interact, let alone close enough to overhear their agreement. Well, Brienne thinks to herself as she self-consciously straightens her tunic, it surely can't be _too_ hard to pretend to be considering ser Jaime as a potential husband for a single month, can it?

 


End file.
